Ἱππίας ἐλάττων || not even when we come to you can we find our way again || ora tumen ira, nigrescunt sanguine venea

Socrates : Then it is the mark of an excellent man to commit crimes wilfully, while his opponent does so against his will, if indeed the excellent man has an excellent character.

Hippias : Well, he does have an excellent character, at any rate.

Socrates : Then the person who goes wrong and does disgraceful and criminal things, if he does exist, can't be anyone other than the excellent person.

Hippias : It is impossible for me to agree with you on that point, Socrates.

Socrates : I do not even agree with myself, Hippias. But as things are, it necessarily appears that way to us, ... . ... I'm lost, wandering back and forth on these issues, and I can never settle on a single opinion about them. But it is not at all amazing that I am lost, or that the man on the street is. However, if you, the intelligent people, are lost too, then at this stage we find ourselves in a pretty terrible situation : not even when we come to you can we find our way again.

[ Plato : ... 376B - 376C ... ]